Archive for August, 2009

On 10 March 2001,following its national premiere in Washington D.C. at the National Geographic Society, Waikiki - In the Wake of Dreams premiered in Honolulu at Kuhio Beach, literally on the beach under the stars, in the shadow of Diamond Head.It took 9 months to plan the build out and to obtain all the sign offs necessary in creating this outdoor theatre. The template was then given to the city and “Sunset on the Beach” was born. Since then it has become part of Waikiki’s modern history.

5000 people attended the maiden voyage screening on the beach and the all day event into the night.Families brought their kids and blankets, mingled with visitors who sat in awe of one of the world's great entertainers, Don Ho, in one of his rare major public performances in the last decade, followed by the premiere of a film that documented a thousand years of Waikiki's history.

The event was hosted by the Hawaii Tourism Authority, the City of Honolulu, organized in great part by professionals from otherwise competing hotels, the Sheraton Hotels Hawaii - Starwood Luxury Collection and Outrigger Hotels and Resorts; and with tremendous support by the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau it was a coming together of people who love Waikiki and who were eager to put aside daily business to create something that was truly a public service. We worked with many people who had collectively spent hundreds of years working in Waikiki. Whether they were in management or housekeeping, if they cleaned the beaches and the park or they were HPD officers who walked the beat for 20 years, or concierges who greeted a good number of those 7 million travelers who visit our islands every year, we all worked together to create an event that did no harm to the environment and whose centerpiece has remained focused on the arts. The Grammy-winning acapella group, Take Six, had agreed to record Andy Cummings' magnificent composition, "Waikiki" for the film (mahalo to former Warner Bros. Records - Nashville President, and Kohala resident, Jim Ed Norman). Their rendition of Waikiki is what you hear in this video clip taken on that evening. So the entire experience was a hui of many people both in the making of the film and creation of the event.

Today this popular event is hosted by the Mayor of Honolulu and it remains free to the public. I “happens” near the “strand” at Kuhio beach. So when we think of how times are tough for so many we need to be reminded of life’s possibilities and how a place such as Waikiki can inspire.It has inspired artists and lovers, great athletes, and visitors who may never experience a place as welcoming nor as beautiful as these shores.

Waikiki in its name speaks of “spouting healing waters” where Native Hawaiians harvested the sea rich with lobster, shrimp, fish and limu; and where they found healing at a place where three streams flowed from the great Koolau Mountains down to Waikiki and out to sea.

So if you're feeling overwhelmed in your daily life why not go down to Waikiki to take a stroll on the beach at sunset, get your feet wet, and take a look around. Let Waikiki's timeless waves roll over your problems, catch a bite to eat at one of many great restaurants, take your beach mat and go watch a good movie under the stars and in the "magic beside the sea" because... you can. Life is Good in Hawaii.

For a glimpse of the film, Waikiki in the Wake of Dreams, visit Pacific Network.tv by clicking below:

A lot of people think this sport is easy because you see a kite, you say "Hey, this must be as easy as flying a kite!" Not. There are a lot of moving parts. Weather, wind patterns, and the sea. Safety has got to be first and foremost your concern.

Johann Bouit shot this at Kailua Beach, one if not the best, wind surfing spots on Oahu. He says the sport is like merging wake boarding, wind surfing and flying a kite all together. If you like those three sports this one's for you! Some of the best pros came out of wind surfing to kite surfing as an extreme sport so understand that this activity requires coaching to learn from an expert how to master the sail.

Kite Surfing uses wind power to pull a rider through the water on a small board. Riders use a board with or without a leash or foot strap, and the power of the wind harnessed by a large kite. The sport is becoming safer with innovations in kite design, safety release systems, and instruction but this is no sport for sissies. According to fans there are many styles of kite surfing. There is "wakestyle, wave riding, freestyle, jumping, and cruising" and when you see it you want to do it. One of the great things about living in Hawaii. You not only can "go fly a kite" but you can really fly a kite!

Hawaii is home to a handful of talented tandem teams. It is one of the most intriguing of water sports. Back in 1915 Duke Kahanamoku was invited to Australia by the NSW Swimming Association. He did not take a board so Isabel Letham's father helped him make one from sugar pine. Australians had been body boarding on wooden boards and they loved body surfing but no one had been standing up let alone standing with two people on one surfboard.

At Freshwater Beach Duke Kahanamoku gave a 3 hour demonstration of "Hawaiian-style surf shooting" to a crowd of hundreds. At the end of the session Kahanamoku invited Letham from the crowd for a tandem surfing demonstration. Letham was 15 at the time and an accomplished swimmer and bodysurfer and known as a "tomboy". She'd never done tandem surfing before. Four waves later Isabel Letham was quoted as saying she was "hooked for life". Letham went on to become an accomplished surfer, teacher, and mentor to many who loved the sport of surfing and swimming.

We just spent nearly two years building the first serious Hawaii - Pacific themed Internet television network of nine channels called PacificNetwork.tv. I know more than I'd ever dreamed of ever wanting to know about the worldwide web, most of which has been fascinating and mind boggling. There is no doubt that the Internet has changed our world tremendously in how we communicate, educate, and entertain ourselves. For people who rely on the net for distance learning, telemedicine, and virtual interaction because they are home bound or don't have the ability to travel or they're homeschooling it has brought the world and almost everything and anything one could hope to know to one's doorstep. Like the great taoist scholar, Lao Tzu, wrote, " A man can know the world without stepping outside his door or without looking out his window." That being said, with the good has come the not so good.

There are 25 million children who use the Internet on a regular basis. 1 in 5 are sexually solicited online. Global reports of child abuse and child pornography are skyrocketing because these offenders have found the perfect "playground" where they can meet kids. And they do it while the family watches TV in the other room, while you are still at work, or when you're too busy with the struggle of every day life to give your attention to your child so he or she is being given that one on one attention by a total stranger-- on the Internet. Make no mistake. Child predators are everywhere. They enter your living room or your little one's bedroom and you may never realize it until it's too late.

I had the pleasure of working with a great investigative journalist, Matt Levi, and one of the stories we did for the Levi Report was on child endangerment and Internet Predators. Here is an excerpt. For more please visit http://news.pacificnetwork.tv/LifeIsGood/

Kahana Valley State Park is the only state-owned ahupua‘a (the Hawaiian "pie shaped" system of land division that runs from the ocean to the mountain ridge) left in tact from prehistoric times.

This is the perfect "natural museum". You and your ohana can learn first hand what the "Hawaiian way of life" before the first explorers visited the island of Oahu was really like. The windward side of the Oahu is filled with fish ponds, taro farms, and archeological sites but nowhere will you find the whole package at one site.

The park includes archaeological discoveries, a prehistoric fishpond, fishing shrine, gardens, taro lo‘i and streams. It is also home to residents with historical ties to the valley. Information on the hiking trail is provided at the orientation center. Craft work demonstrations at the fishpond, taro lo‘i and the beach are numerous. Workshops and school tours can be booked and don't be surprised if you run into the park caretakers who have generational ties to this valley.

As you walk on the many adventure trails through out the park you will be walking the same pathways as the ancient Native Hawaiians. A hui hou!

For more information: call Renee Kamisugi, Program Coordinator, at 237 7767.

For more video visit Life is Good on the news channel at Pacific Network